NSEL defaulters diverted funds abroad, say police

5,600CR SCAM

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: The Mumbai police’s economic offences wing (EOW), which is probing the Rs 5,600-crore NSEL fraud case, has found that some defaulters had diverted money made from NSEL trading to buy companies abroad but the funds transfers were not always legal. For instance, Aastha Minmet, a sister concern of Juggernaut, invested about Rs 8.3 crore in a Singapore firm, Akshaj Ventures.
 

    “We have come across several defaulter firms that have invested money in buying companies abroad. We don’t want to share all the details of our probe at this stage. There are clear indications of hawala in some cases and we are in touch with the Enforcement Directorate (ED),” said Rajvardhan Sinha, additional commissioner of police, EOW. 

    Meanwhile, the EOW on Friday questioned B G Pawar, an accused in the NSEL scam, Mohit Aggarwal of Juggernaut, some directors of Kasturi and ARK Imports. “We are questioning them about the land, plants & machinery bought by their companies and several other issues. We will be calling some other directors on Monday,” added Sinha.
 

    He said that the arrested accused and former NSEL office bearer Anjani Sinha had made more than Rs 70 crore. Anjani Sinha is said to have a large investment in real estate. “We have written to the RBI to find out why a huge amount of money went abroad and what was the reason given by the companies while transferring the funds,” said an officer.
 

    The investigating officers are also compiling the second list of properties that are to be attached. On Thursday and Friday, the EOW sent messages to collectors and tehsildars in various states to attach 25 properties belonging to the defaulters. The police are also planning to make the sixth arrest on Saturday in the NSEL fraud case. “We will pick up a suspect on Saturday,” police sources said.
 

    In a related development, the Saharanpur police on Friday took the custody of two accused, Amit Mukherjee and Anjani Sinha, and took them to Uttar Pradesh. 

 

The Times of India, November 9, 2013

Sexual abuse plaint against cop: Inquiry still pending

‘VICTIMS GETTING THREAT CALLS’

Mumbai: Assistant commissioner of police Milind Bhise, currently probing allegations made by two Kurla men against a police inspector about the latter sexually exploiting them, is yet to complete his inquiry. The probe ordered on October 23, was supposed to be completed within 10 days.
 

    On October 23, the two men, aged 24 and 25, approached Qauiser Khalid, additional commissioner of police, alleging that an inspector from Chunabhatti police station, had forced them to come to his cabin , where he allegedly dressed up like a woman and had unnatural sex with them. Khalid had instituted a probe into the matter.

    “When we resisted the first time, he threatened to frame us in false cases,” one of the complainants had told Khalid. The additional commissioner told this correspondent that he had asked the ACP to speed up the inquiry and submit the report at the earliest. 

    Salim Qureishi, a social worker, who took the duo to Khalid told TOI cops had harassed him for taking action. “They are making threatening calls to the two men on their cell phones. One of the victims received a call from a constable who asked him to come and meet the senior police inspector. If this continues, the victims may themselves withdraw their complaints fearing police action against them,” said Qureishi. TOI’s attempts to contact Bhise have gone in vain. — Mateen Hafeez 

The Times of India, November 8, 2013

Cops attach NSEL defaulters’ assets

25 PROPERTIES

 

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: The economic offences (EOW) wing of the Mumbai Police on Thursday issued orders to attach 25 properties of the defaulters in the Rs 5,600-crore National Spot Exchange (NSEL) fraud case. In a related development, the Saharanpur police filed a transit remand plea in the Esplande court seeking the custody of two accused, Amit Mukherjee and Anjani Sinha.
 

    Rajvardhan Sinha, additional commissioner of EOW, said that investigators have till date identified more than 105 properties belonging to the defaulters. “All the properties will be attached under the Maharashtra Protection of Interest of Depositors Act (which empowers the police to attach immovable assets of the accused). In the first phase, we have issued the orders to attach 25 properties. Order copies have been sent through fax to the collectors concerned and t e h s ild a r s. In the next
phase, we will be sending orders to attach the remaining properties,” said Sinha, adding that the police was still busy identifying more properties. “We will inform the MPID Act court on Friday about our order,” he said.
 

    The purpose of attachment is to avoid the sale or purchase of such properties. ARK is among the companies mentioned in the first phase of attachment. “We have not valued the properties but we are confident of recovering the money of investors,” said Sinha. The immovable properties are in the form of land and buildings across the country.

    Market sources said the total value of these 105 properties account for about 70% of the total value of the amount to be paid by 24 borrowers.    The police have so far arrested Mukherjee, Jay Bhaukhundi, both former top officials of the now-defunct exchange, Anjani Sinha, former MD of NSEL, and Nilesh Patel, MD of N K Proteins, one of the largest borrowers (around Rs 970 crore). 

 
    Ateam comprising six policemen from Uttar Pradesh on Thursday approached the Esplanade court seeking the custody of Anjani Sinha and Mukherjee. The UP police told the court that they have also registered a case and wanted the custodial interrogation of the two. The suspects would be taken to a Saharanpur court where they will be formally arrested.
 

    Patel’s father in-law, Shankarlal Guru, former NSEL chairman, was summoned on Thursday for questioning but he didn’t turn up. He sent an email saying he was not keeping well and would appear before the police later. Guru had resigned from his post on August 19. 

 

The Times of India, November 8, 2013

Two on bike killed at deadly freeway turn

Rider Lost Control And Hit Safety Wall

  Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: Two youngsters died on the Eastern Freeway in the early hours of Monday after their motorcycle crashed into the safety wall ahead of an electric pole on a curve near the southern end of the flyover. This is the third major accident on the 13.5km freeway; in all, five lives have been lost in the last three months.
 

    Monday’s accident occurred close to the Wadi Bunder turning point around 2am. The victims, Naresh Bhandary (19) and Pratik Salve (21) were from Govandi. “Bhandary was riding at high speed. The two had left their residence saying they were going to meet friends. Ahead of pole number 9, which lies on a curve, Bhandary lost control of his bike, which skid and crashed into the safety wall. The two fell on the road,” said subinspector Bharat Patil of the Dongri police station.
 

    Bhandary’s skull got smashed while Salve sustained severe head injuries. “A passerby saw them lying on the road, bleeding. He informed the police, who took the two to JJ Hospital. Doctors pronounced them brought dead,” Patil said.   The police have registered a case of negligent driving and death due to negligence under the Indian Penal Code and speeding under Motor Vehicles Act. 

    Senior police inspector Sandeep Dal said, “Bhandary quit studying after he failed class X. Salve was a class IX dropout.” Their bike has been sent to the RTO for examination. Deepak, Salve’s uncle, who claimed the body, said he would often leave at night but would return home safely. The police are not sure if the rider was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident. “We are waiting for medical reports,” an officer said. 

    In the first and third weeks of October, two accidents occurred in similar circumstances on the same curve: in the first week, a motorcyclist died after hitting the safety wall beyond poll number 9 around 3am; on October 20, a speeding motorcycle hit the same safety wall around 3.30am—three were on the bike, of whom one pillion rider was flung in the air, fell on the road below and died, while another man, along with the rider, fell on the flyover (the rider died and the pillion rider suffered serious injuries).

The Times of India, November 6, 2013

Teen dies under bus, mob attacks Ghatkopar hosp

The area (top) where Raj Devendra (inset) fell off a bus and was crushed. A ransacked site (above) inside Rajawadi Hospital, Ghatkopar

 

Sumitra Deb Roy & Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: A mob of 20 allegedly ransacked the civic-run Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar and assaulted the doctor on duty on Sunday noon after an accident victim was declared dead on arrival.
  

  Raj S Devendra (17) allegedly fell off a running bus near Garodia Nagar, Ghatkopar (East), and came under the wheels. Fellow passengers and friends who brought him to the hospital around 3.30pm said he had serious head injuries.

    Devendra was taken to the casualty ward where doctors found that his heart had stopped beating. “His head injury was serious, and that was probably why he died on the spot. But as per protocol, the doctor ran an ECG test to confirm the clinical finding. When casualty medical officer Dr Kashinath Jadhav broke the news to the boy’s relatives and friends, they got upset and attacked the doctor,” said senior medical officer Dr Anil Chopde.
 

    Jadhav was hit with the blood pressure measuring machine, said Chopde. “There was swelling on his forehead. The BP machine broke because of the impact. The assault marks are clear. He sustained injuries on the shoulder. He was treated but did not require admission. The incident has naturally left him traumatized.” The casualty room’s security glass door was vandalized.
 

    One of Devendra’s friends complained that the doctors did not show any urgency when he was brought to the hospital. “We had to run around for a stretcher and go looking for the emergency room. Every second is precious for an accident victim,” the friend said. He said he was not aware of what triggered the fight.
 

    The Tilak Nagar police said they would book those responsible for the violence. Hospital authorities said they have submitted CCTV footage to the police to aid their investigation.

THE LAW

March 2009 ordinance | Anyone indulging in violence against medicare service personnel and damaging or causing loss to the property of a medicare service institution will be punished with imprisonment of up to three years and a fine of Rs 50,000. The offender may also have to pay twice the damage caused as compensation
 

PAST ATTACKS ON HOSPITAL STAFF

Sept 14, 2013 | 40 people attack Shivneri Hospital, Ulhasnagar, following a patient’s death after being injected with anaesthesia. They rip off the anaesthesiologist’s clothes and assault the surgeon
 

July 20 | Relatives of a Mumbra-based historysheeter, Ahmed Shaikh, ransack Thane Civil Hospital and assault doctors and staff because an intern did not communicate the news of his death immediately
 

June 17, 2012 | St George Hospital’s ICU is ransacked by relatives of a deceased patient, alleging indifference by doctors
 

Feb 8 | A 51-year-old man, admitted to KEM Hospital for intracranial bleeding, dies. On hearing the news, his wife slaps a nurse

The Times of India, November 4, 2013

‘Usmani planned to smuggle drugs along India-Nepal border’

REVEALED DURING INTERROGATIONS

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: Indian Mujahideen’s suspected operative, Afzal Usmani (37), who was caught last week on the Indo-Nepal border, told interrogators that he wanted to get into the drug dealing business from Nepal. Usmani, who had fled from a sessions court in Mumbai on September 20, was caught by the state ATS on October 27 while he was trying to flee into Nepal. 

    The accused is alleged to have participated in over a dozen bomb blast cases. “Usmani told us he had planned to steal cars and sell them in Nepal. He also said that he knew of some drug peddlers and wanted to smuggle narcotics between Indian and Nepalese drug traders since it is a profit-making business,” said a police source. 

    The investigators said Usmani told them that he had already planned on creating secret compartments within the doors of a car to store the narcotics, and intended to peddle at least four to five kg drugs to generate a likely profit of over Rs 5 lakh per trip,” an officer said. Usmani was first caught in 2008 for his alleged role in stealing cars that were used for the Gujarat bomb blasts.
 

    “When Usmani planned his escape to Nepal , he might have been in touch with drug lords. We are now questioning him about their whereabouts as drug money is generally used to finance terror operations,” the source added. 

 

The Times of India, November 4,2013

‘Provide MBBS, engg seats for minorities’

Mateen Hafeez & Hemali Chhapia TNN

Mumbai: In an endeavour aimed at faster educational progress, the minorities ministry wants at least 420 additional seats for MBBS and 720 seats for engineering colleges in the state. Andhra Pradesh is the only state to have set aside 4% seats in its medical, dental and engineering colleges for minority students.
 

    In the state, the ministry conducted a meeting with directors of medical and technical education and instructed them to send proposals to Medical Council of India (MCI) and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). This followed last month’s sanction of Rs 190 crore from the Central government and the state ministry for minorities’ development and education. 

    “Besides additional seats in medical and engineering colleges in the state, we also want to start a second shift (in existing colleges) for minority students in various engineering colleges. We are trying to get it sanctioned soon and want it to start from the 2014 academic year,” said Arif Naseem Khan, minorities development minister. 

    Khan conducted a meeting on Wednesday in Mantralaya with secretary and joint secretaries of minorities’ affairs, officials of higher and technical education, medical education and the principal of J J School of Architecture. Such meetings were conducted a few months ago and proposals were sent to MCI and AICTE but the concerned departments had some queries. “This time we are sending the proposal with all the queries answered and hope to get a positive reply,” added Khan. S Mahajan, chairman of Directorate of Technical Education (DTE), said the minorities minister stressed on the need for access to quality education. “We plan to write to the AICTE and request additional seats for minority students who qualify in the entrance test,” said Mahajan. A letter will be dispatched to MCI, too. 

    A similar effort was made last year when the minister had first proposed the idea of reserving seats. “Last year, the DTE had written to the AICTE seeking permission to run a second shift and the plan was to accommodate minority students in the evening shift. However, permission did not come from Delhi,” added Mahajan. The DTE will now ask for extra seats in the morning college itself.
 

    AICTE chairman S S Mantha said the count of minorities and women in professional education has risen over time. “We want 40 seats each in pharmacy colleges in Aurangabad, Karad and Amravati districts for minorities. We also insisted minority students be given at least 13 seats. All expenses will be borne by the ministry,” said Khan. The ministry has already started the second shift in 12 polytechnic and 44 ITI institutions for minorities in many districts. “We are getting a good response.” 

 

 

The Times of India, November 2, 2013